Learning Basic Social Skills: Part 4
by angelkittysmith
Summary: During the second half of summer 2017 on every Sunday, Sarah, James, Henri, and I go out with my other friends Alex, Justin, and Max on various outings, such as Loew's Theater, P.F. Chang's, Roland's Seafood Grill, Sandcastle, Carnegie Library, Burgatory, and Kennywood. NOTE: I do not own Liberty's Kids or Wizards. Disney Channel and DiC Entertainment do.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Wonder Woman and Chinese Food

The next day, I met Sarah, James, and Henri, along with my other friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at Loew's Theater in the Waterfront. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "You are just in time to see my new favorite movie, _Wonder Woman_ ," Alex told all of us. "It is going to leave theaters pretty soon," Justin added. "Really, Justin?" James asked. "I did not know that." "Did you see _Spider-Man Homecoming_ yet, Max?" Henri asked. "Not yet, Henri," Max replied, "but I will soon." "Would you like any popcorn, Alex?" Sarah offered. "No, that's okay, Sarah," Alex replied. "Thanks for offering, but I am ordering my personal favorite movie snack- a soft pretzel, while Justin and Max have various candies to eat." "Well, James, Henri, Sarah, and I are going to share the popcorn with each other," I told my friend. As soon as we walked inside the movie theater, we ran into Sarah's notorious high school boyfriend, Benedict. "Benedict, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked. "I came to see the movie _Wonder Woman,_ Sarah," Benedict replied. "And for the record, a can of beer!" "Benedict, why are you still here?" Sarah asked. "I am trying to remember the positives, like when I took you out on a date for pizza," Benedict pointed out. "Just enjoy the movie and leave us alone," I told Benedict. "Yeah, we don't need you trying to ruin the movie for us, Benedict," Alex agreed. After we watched the movie, we went to P.F. Chang's for Chinese food. We ran into Sarah's good boyfriend, Robert. "Robert, thank goodness you are here," Sarah told him. "Hey, you have to try P.F. Chang's steamed shrimp dumplings," Robert convinced Sarah. "They are really yummy." "I will consider it," Sarah agreed. "Thanks for taking us here for dinner, James," Justin thanked. "You're welcome," James replied. "Although, we usually like to go to Red Robin after we see a movie." "That's great, Justin," James stated, "but I wanted to come here for Chinese food instead, since I love their sweet and sour chicken." "Want to split a Mini Great Wall of Chocolate with me for dessert?" Henri offered. "Sure," Max replied. I ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken with a side of crispy noodles. "I understand how hard having a boyfriend can be for you, Sarah," Alex sympathized. "I felt the same way with Justin at first when we went to prom together my senior year, but we still had fun." "All we did was go to a pizza restaurant together, Alex," Sarah reminded us. "How would you girls feel if I tried sweet and sour chicken?" I asked my friends. "Sure, Angel," Sarah agreed. "Do whatever you want." Sarah ordered the steamed shrimp dumplings like Robert suggested, Alex ordered sesame chicken, Justin ordered crispy honey shrimp, James ordered his favorite- sweet and sour chicken, Henri ordered beef lo mein, and Max ordered spring rolls. "Did you guys come here with Angel after her shift at Goodwill once?" Alex asked. "No, they didn't, Alex," I replied. "That was the next couple on the list- Ryan and Savannah!" The conversation reminded me of where we went last weekend- the Monroeville Mall with the Party City store and the singing birthday cards, where the name game came from. Max and Henri were splitting a Mini Great Wall of Chocolate. Henri once again had chocolate sauce on his face, and so did Max, which they both wiped off of their faces. Once we got our checks, we leaved the restaurant. "Thanks for a great dinner and evening, guys!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Dinner at Roland's Seafood Grill

The next evening, I drove up with my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri to Roland's Seafood Grill in the Strip District, where I also met up with more of my best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I hope they have lots of good food at this restaurant," James stated. "I hope they have good desserts here, too," Henri chimed in. Alex, Justin, and Max were already sitting at a table and waved us in. "Hi, guys!" Alex greeted us. "You're just in time for some really good seafood," Max told us. "Max, how would you know that the food here is good when you haven't even tried it yet?" Justin asked. "That leaves us with a question to ask you guys: Why did you want to come to this restaurant for dinner?" James asked. "Good question, James," Justin replied. "Well, we wanted to try something new and different," Alex added. "Okay then," Sarah remarked. "We were originally going to take you to Cenacolo's Restaurant in Irwin, but Carly and her parents said that they would rather go with us instead in September," Alex explained. "All right," I agreed. "I think that Sarah, James, Henri, and I were willing to try something new tonight." "This reminds me of my 7th grade year where I had to take gym class for the first time," Sarah remembered. "I had to change gym clothes in front of all the girls and use a locker." "I remember when I felt that way in middle school, too," I told Sarah."Also, doing basic exercises like stretching, sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups "Same here," Alex agreed. "When was a time that you had to try something new and different, Alex?" Sarah asked. "Well, I had to try a new restaurant once- the Pasquerilla Restaurant," Alex remembered. "What was their food like?" Sarah asked. "They had a variety of good food choices to eat, and I was able to try some yummy foods," Alex stated, looking at the menu. "I think the restaurant's specials look rather interesting," I told my friends. "I would love to try their oven-fried catfish and carrot cake, just so I can be in the "Trying New Things" group, just like my BFFs, Sarah and Alex." As a matter of fact, all of us were ready to order our meals. Sarah ordered broiled swordfish, Alex ordered lobster tails, James ordered jumbo lump crab cakes, Justin ordered shrimp and grits, and Henri and Max decided to split a "Meat Trio" pizza. "I think you guys all made good choices," I told my friends. I also ordered a glass of juice to drink with my meal. "It seems like you girls are always ordering healthy things to eat, as am I," Sarah told me and Alex. "The best thing is that I already get dessert with my meal since it is the special of the day!" "Sarah, this is almost like what we ordered last weekend at Monterey Bay," Alex remembered. "That's right, Alex," Sarah agreed. "What kind of dessert would you like to split with me?" "How about the Raspberry Lemon Drop?" Alex suggested. "Okay," Sarah agreed. "It looks yummy." "Justin, would you like to split the Peanut Butter Explosion with me?" James offered. "Of course, James," Justin agreed. "I love that dessert, too." Meanwhile, Henri and Max ordered the Tuxedo Bombe to split for their dessert. Before they knew it, they ended up with chocolate on their faces. "Henri, do you always get chocolate on your face when eating a dessert?" Max asked. "You have chocolate on your face too, Max," Henri pointed out. They quickly got napkins and wiped the chocolate off their faces. As soon as we paid our checks, Alex handed us our Sandcastle tickets for next weekend. "I can't wait to go to Sandcastle with you guys," I told my friends. "It should be lots of fun!" Then, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to Mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great dinner and evening, guys!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Sandcastle Water Park

The next day, I met my childhood friends Sarah, James, and Henri at Sandcastle Water Park in Homestead, along with some of my other friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "It turned into a nice day to go to Sandcastle," Alex stated. "We got the Flash Flood Sale tickets," James told us. "We didn't know about those," Justin stated. "Sorry!" "What do you think we should ride first, Max?" Henri asked. "How about some waterslides?" Max suggested. "I think we should start off with the Blue Tubaluba," I told my friends. "Is that your favorite waterslide?" Sarah asked. "It's one of my favorites, yes," I replied. "It's one of mine, too," Alex agreed. "I'm sad that summer is almost over," I told my friends. "I'm not," Sarah disagreed. "I am looking forward to fall." "I like spring best," Alex stated. "The only really good thing about winter that I like is Christmas," I stated. "You, James, Henri, and I had a really nice Christmas together one year, Sarah." "Yes, we opened presents and had a very yummy Christmas dinner," Sarah agreed. "You should have been there, Alex." "Well, Angel and I did all that stuff for Christmas too, Sarah," Alex stated. We then took our turns riding down the Blue Tubaluba and other waterslides such as the Thunder Run, Tubers Tower, Cliffhangers, and Boardwalk Blasters, which was a body slide that Sarah lost her hair tie on. When the slides were closed temporarily for inclement weather, we all got some food to eat. I got a cobb salad, Sarah got a soft pretzel, James got Potato Patch fries, Henri got nachos, Alex got chicken tenders with Potato Patch fries, Justin got a cheeseburger with Potato Patch fries, and Max got a hot dog with Potato Patch fries. "I remember coming here during my senior year of high school, James," Justin remembered. "Was it fun?" James asked. "I don't even care that the Potato Patch restaurant is closed because we were able to get these fries at the All American Grille." "You like Potato Patch fries too?" Justin asked. "Of course, Justin," James replied. "Heck, I enjoyed coming here when I first met Angel!" The boys enjoyed all the waterslides just as much as we did. We also got Dippin' Dots to eat for dessert before taking a dip in the Mon Tsunami Wave Pool. When the waves came on, I always shouted "Ricola!" Nobody understood what it meant but me. When the Wave Pool shut down, Sarah, Alex, and I rode all the waterslides twice except for the Boardwalk Blasters, which Sarah did not want to ride again. As a result, Alex loaned Sarah one of her hair ties. Pretty soon, it was getting late so it would be time for us to go. "Thanks for a great day, guys!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Nutrition and Diet

The next day, my best friend, Emily Mistle and I met up with a lot of my friends Sarah, James, Henri, Alex, Justin, and Max at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill to talk about nutrition and diet. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "You are just in time for us to talk about nutrition and diet," Alex told me. "By the way, what snack are you eating?" "Emily and I are eating yogurt," I told everyone. "My yogurt is the plain, low-fat type." "I am eating fat-free Greek yogurt," Emily stated. "These are all part of the dairy group," I informed everyone. "These types of foods provide calcium and protein to keep our bones strong." "But, it is always best to choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products since many dairy products can be high in fat, even though they provide good calcium and protein," Emily added. "Sometimes, I even use fat-free Greek yogurt for cereal instead of milk," I told everyone. Sarah and Alex had carrot sticks and celery sticks, which were vegetables. "I love carrots," Sarah told us. "They are orange vegetables, which improve your eyesight. As a matter of fact, many orange foods improve your eye power, such as cantaloupe, oranges, squash, sweet potatoes- you name it." "Celery sticks are yummy, and I learned that they are a "free" vegetable- meaning that I can eat as many of them as I want since they don't count in my calorie total," Alex informed us. "This is the case for other green vegetables, like cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, and kale leaves." "Fruits and vegetables are also good for us," I agreed. "Uh-huh," Emily chimed in. "A lot of my favorite foods include fruits and vegetables, like salad, for example." Henri and Max had whole-grain crackers and whole-grain cereal. "Wheat Thins are one of my favorite types of crackers," Henri informed us. "They give my body energy. Now, of course, when I had my support group, I tried Wheat Thins for the first time after trying Triscuits, another type of cracker which I didn't end up liking." "Whole-grain cereal gives my body a jump start for the day," Max added. "I work hard to buy many whole-wheat products every day, such as whole-grain bread, whole-grain rice, whole-grain pasta, whole-grain waffles, mainly from a brand I particularly like called Jimmy Dean's." "Emily's brother, Michael always buys us Van's frozen waffles," I told everyone. "I see that Max is eating Kashi Go Lean! cereal, which is one of my favorite breakfast cereals," Emily noticed. "We should always buy whole-grain products whenever we can," I told my friends, "since they give us more energy than regular white products." Finally, James and Justin had hard-boiled eggs and assorted nuts, which were forms of protein. "Hard-boiled eggs taste so yummy," James told us, "and they give me protein, which strengthens my body and muscles, as many other types of eggs do." "Assorted nuts are a tasty snack as long as they are plain and unsalted," Justin told us. "They give me other important nutrients besides protein, such as vitamin E, folate, and magnesium. My favorite nuts include walnuts, almonds, cashews, and of course, peanuts." "Now, if you were a vegetarian or a vegan, you would have to find your protein sources from other foods," James informed us. "Exactly, because nuts don't come from animals, unlike eggs, which come from chickens," Justin agreed. "We always make sure to eat broiled or grilled fish or chicken without skin since they are better ways to get protein," I told my friends. "I especially love all kinds of seafood, including shrimp," Emily told us. "Just as long as we have strong bones and muscles!" After our discussion, I went with everyone to get Chinese food in Squirrel Hill. "We tried to come here on the way to Kennywood our senior year," Alex told us, "but instead, we got food at the McDonald's near Kennywood on Hoffman Boulevard." "Do you think their chicken lo mein is any good here, Alex?" Sarah asked. "Since that is what I am thinking about having." "Absolutely, Sarah," Alex agreed. "That's what I might have, too." I ordered ginger sesame green bean stir-fry, Sarah and Alex both ordered chicken lo mein, James ordered a sweet and sour chicken combo meal, Justin ordered steamed dumplings, Henri ordered beef lo mein, and Max ordered chicken chow mein. We also got fortune cookies with our meals, and I looked at everybody's fortunes. "I realized that this was the second time we went out for Chinese food this weekend," I told everyone. "We went once with Carly and her parents, and another time with you guys." "That's right, Angel," Sarah agreed. It was getting late, so we all headed home. "Thanks for a great day, everyone," I told my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Day at Kennywood Park

The next day, after breakfast at Station Square, Sarah, James, Henri, and I met up with more of my friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at Kennywood Park. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Alex greeted back. "I'm so glad that you guys could join us for Kennywood," James remarked. "Actually, it was Alex who bought us the tickets," Sarah reminded us. Alex then handed out tickets to everyone. "Are we going to ride some rides?" Henri asked. "Of course we are," Henri replied. "Let's start off with the Sky Rocket!" "Great idea, Max," Justin agreed. When we were in line, Alex and Justin shared a kiss. "Ah, just like when we went here before I started Edinboro," I happily remembered. "Yes, and Alex is not even in college anymore," Max agreed. "I'm surprised you guys didn't join us for breakfast at Station Square," I told my friends. "Did you have another interview for Carnegie Mellon University, Justin?" "What are you talking about, Angel?" Justin asked me. "I have a teaching job now." "I'm kidding," I stated. "I am still trying to figure out why you guys couldn't join us at the Grand Concourse this morning, especially since Sarah took me there once for my birthday." "Oh right," Alex remembered. "I forgot." "Thanks to her, I learned to like chicken parmesan." "Well, I learned to like caesar salads at the Grand Concourse for the first time," Alex told me. "Have you tried it?" It was then our turn to ride the Sky Rocket. While in line for the Thunderbolt, I chatted with Alex about her job at the Carnegie Museum and more healthy snacks that she and her friends had. Before it was our turn to ride, we saw Sarah, James, and Henri get off the Thunderbolt, and we waved hello to them. They got food to eat while we rode the Thunderbolt. While in line for the Phantom's Revenge, I chatted with Justin about his teaching job and about how he was not Facebook friends with James like Mrs. Shay was, due to not having a Facebook account. After we rode the Phantom's Revenge, we decided to get lunch. Max and I both got hot dogs, Justin got a Philly beef sandwich, and Alex got chicken tenders. We all got French fries and sodas with our meals. Sarah, James, and Henri met up with us. I rode 3 more roller coasters with them: the Jack Rabbit with James, the Racer with Sarah, and the Log Jammer with Henri. "Did you have fun?" Sarah asked me. "Of course I had fun," I replied. "Who did you like riding with better: us or them?" Alex asked. "It's kind of a tie," I replied. "I especially thought it was nice for Sarah to take us to the Grand Concourse." "Angel was telling me about that," Alex stated. "What meal did you get there, Sarah?" "Well, I got a Caesar salad," Sarah replied. "Me too," Alex agreed. "We also saw Daniel Shays in line for the Phantom," James told us, "who you guys all remember meeting." "Oh yeah," Justin remembered. "Daniel Shays, who served us breakfast at the Grand Concourse." "I'm Facebook friends with him, as well," James told us. "Angel told me about how we are not Facebook friends, like you and Mrs. Shay are," Justin pointed out. "Well, you guys missed out on when Alex, Justin, and Max joined me for one last time here at Kennywood right before I started college at Edinboro University," I told everyone. "Uh-huh, and we stayed overnight at the Renaissance hotel, just like you guys did," Alex added. "I even shared a room with Sarah, just like how I shared a room with you," I also remembered. "Can we also split a treat here, like we split a birthday sundae before we go home?" "Sure," Sarah replied. "How about Rita's Italian Ice?" "What all did you guys eat here?" "Corn dogs and Potato Patch fries," James replied. "I am sure you guys still have room for dessert," I told everyone. Sarah and I split a green apple-flavored Italian Ice before we all started to head home. "Thanks for a great day, guys!" I thanked everyone. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


End file.
